Gypsy Music from Bulgaria 1

Ibro Lolov & His Gypsy Orchestra
Gypsy Music from Bulgaria Vol.1, 2000

Gypsy music has always had a certain fascination for us - there is a lot of mystery of faraway places in this music, a kind of longing, a sadness and often such exuberant and fiery enthusiasm as to make our hearts pound and our feet tap. Apart from this Gypsy musicians usually play their instruments excellently and are able to express and project a veritable rainbow of emotions with their guitars, accordions and violins. Gypsies truly "have music in their blood".

History: The term Gypsy music refers strictly to the gypsies' own folk music, but in its broadest sense has become a general term for music performed and cultivated by gypsies.
The gypsies were/are an itinerant people believed to have originated from northern India, their language being akin to Sanskrit. By the 9th century they were in Persia and by the 11th they had reached Bulgaria, by the 15th century they were in many European countries.
There is no single musical style shared by gypsies throughout the world. In the 20th century gypsy musicians are found not only in Hungary but also from Iran through the Balkans to the Russian Republics, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Andalusia and even North Africa.
Everywhere they perform their music in a style and on instruments characteristic of the region and its inhabitants.
It would be extremely difficult for the untrained listener to distinguish Bulgarian gypsy music from Bulgarian folk music. There are many elements common to both.

On this CD of Bulgarian Gypsy music we find remarkable rhythmic similarities with various Middle Eastern rhythms which is probably connected with the Turkish invasion of Southern Europe and their occupancy of the Balkans for centuries. There are straight rhythms (4/4) as well as uneven rhythms (e.g. 9/8, 5/4).
The instruments used here are the accordion, playing a leading role, accompanied by a violin, guitar, bass, a drum resembling the Arabian darbouka and a male and female singer. The music is mainly dance music from different regions and for various occasions. The pieces are mainly instrumental with a few sung pieces interspersed.
The violin usually follows the melody played on the accordion in unison or is playing harmony above or below the melody-line of the accordion. Occasionally the violin breaks free and plays a short solo during which time the according plays rhythmic chords or there are short dialogues between the violin and the accordion, but always the accordion takes back its role as the lead instrument.

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